Posted on 05/11/2010 4:50:23 PM PDT by ErnstStavroBlofeld
The Russian air force took delivery of the first Pantsyr-S short-range air-defense systems in March. The Pantsyrs will gradually replace the old Tunguska antiaircraft weapons. The first 10 systems were released from KBP Instrument Design Bureaus assembly site in Tula and transported to Alabino, near Moscow, and will be part of the Victory Day parade in Red Square on May 9.
Whats unusual is that the first Pantsyr systems are being deployed to protect high-end surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) against aircraft, missiles and bombs.
The Pantsyr battery will be deployed to the 606th air-defense regiment in Elektrostal, near Moscow, says Lt. Gen. Sergey Razygraev, deputy commander of air defense. A few years ago this regiment became the first to get the new S-400 Triumf long-range SAMs that will now be guarded by the Pantsyrs. Each S-400 system will be protected by three Pantsyr launch vehicles, Razygraev says.
KBP started to develop the Pantsyr in the 1990s, basing it on the Tunguska missile-gun system. The new air-defense weapon is designed to provide short-range protection from air attack to military units and strategic military and industrial sites. Its main task, however, will be to guard long-range S-300 SAMs, Triumfs predecessors. The first Pantsyr prototype was completed in 1994 and unveiled a year later at the MAKS air show in Zhukovsky. But then development was almost entirely suspended due to insufficient government funding.
The program was revived in the early 2000s when the United Arab Emirates (UAE) ordered 50 Pantsyr-S1 export-modified weapons for $734 million, with an option for 28 more. Pantsyr thus became the first new Russian weapon system designed for export. Under the contract, KBP should have completed development within two years and delivered the system in 2005. The deliveries were delayed, however, because designers completed an improved version in 2006.
(Excerpt) Read more at aviationweek.com ...
I agree with you.
All good points
It does not mean the S-400 is weak, but instead actually makes the S-400 an even more dangerous system by improving its survivability even further. The greatest threat to legacy fighters (like the F-18, F-16, F-15, Tornado etc) is not enemy air (not even advanced variants of the Flanker like the SU-35, or even op-air 5th Gen fighters like the PakFa prototype), but rather the proliferation creep of advanced double-digit SAMs like the S-300 and the HQ-9 (a Chinese clone of the 300). Those systems will effectively deny airspace to legacy airframes. The S-400 simply makes it worse for legacy airframes. Now, the way the Tor and other shorter range systems come in, is that they remove a major weakness of the S-3/400 ...that is, standoff weapons or expanded range weapons launched by a stealthy platform. A deep IADS penetrator like the Raptor can launch a JDAM or SDB from a very high altitude at supercruise, giving the weapon a vastly expanded range. The Raptor would be able to penetrate deeper into an advanced enemy IADS than what a F-15 or similar could, thus it is quite possible for a Raptor to launch several Small Diameter Bombs (basically missiles without engines due to their shape and pop-out wings), which can be used to target S-300/400/HQ-9 systems at the periphery, and thus the Raptor force could simply use attrition attacks from the outside going in. However, the Pantsyr-S is not able to intercept these incoming weapons, leaving the S-3/400/HQ-9 launch vehicles and their radars safer.
This makes a bad situation worse. Particularly for nations like Taiwan which have a series of platforms for the Chinese IADS along China's coast, some of which can reach into the Strait.
Anyways, I really enjoy your threads, and you should start a ping list.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cwiski_xGaY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GM7Ivfnumds&feature=player_embedded
I enjoy reading your posts. I learn from it very much. Thanks for the compliment for starting a ping list.
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